If there is one thing we constantly crave, in every aspect of our lives, it is success. While this desire to succeed is understandable we need to realise that life doesn’t follow a set pattern. One needs to approach life with a mix of steely determination and equanimity, taking the highs and lows in stride. This is what sets the winners apart.
If there is anything we can learn from politics it is how no political leader, no matter how unstoppable they may seem, has had an uninterrupted run. How do they deal with the loss? Do they disappear from the public eye? No. After elections, post-mortems are done, results analysed in detail and put through various filters; lessons are learnt, a revised strategy is formulated and the next challenge is faced with renewed determination. This applies to all professionals, be it sportspersons, industrialists or actors.
Badminton star PV Sindhu, who became a sports icon and the heart-throb of millions, has had her share of defeats but she always bounces back and how!
Sindhu made history by becoming the first and the youngest Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal at the Rio Olympics, where she lost to Carolina Marin from Spain. But even in defeat she captured the imagination of millions with her never-say-die spirit with which she played the game. She later avenged this loss by defeating Marin in the Indian Super Series.
Later, she had to settle for a silver in the Glasgow BWF World Championships against Japanese player Nozomi Okuhara but went on to defeat her in the Victor Korea Open Super Series. More recently, she lost the BWF World Super Series finals at Dubai after a gruelling game and a determined fight.
When it comes to business and industry, how many of us remember that NR Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, had 40 years ago started a consulting company called Softronics which “failed” or that Sunil Bharti Mittal dabbled in manufacturing crankshafts for bicycle factories and import trading before he stormed the telecom sector?
Yes, failure hurts but it is not a bad thing and is not the end of the world. It doesn’t augur well for personal growth if one gives up easily and fails to learn from it. Success is sweet but it takes time, and one must be patient in the quest for it. Hang in there, without losing hope!
(The writer is a freelance journalist, writer and social activist.)